11 Depart Ait Benhaddou - Headed to Todra Gorge

Small hiccup this morning, needed to pay for the hotel in cash. No problem, just run to an ATM... 20 miles away! Chris was the only one that managed to get up to see the sunrise over the city walls, so he was elected to go find a bank!

We said goodbye to Ait Benhaddou and headed for the Todra Gorge. The drive was beautiful, all sorts of ever changing landscape. Red mountains, snow covered mountains, desert like plains, green Oasis filled with palm trees, and finally the gorge. Crazy high cliffs. We are planning to hike the Gorge tomorrow.

Along the way we stopped at Kasbah Amiril and hired a local tour guide. He took us through the Kasbah and did a great job explaining the history. Even Abby seemed to enjoy it! (Which totally goes against her "no rocks, ruins or churches" stance!) Of particular interest was seeing how the really old locks work. Earlier at Ait Benhaddou we took pictures of the crazy keys but had no idea how they worked, now we do!

Check out the picture of what appears to be rocks in a row in the middle of the road; that's exactly what it is! Who needs cones, tape and a flagman when you can just surround your recent work with big rocks?! This seems to be the preferred "marking" method!

Took a bit to find the hotel, it's actually located IN the Gorge. Absolutely beautiful facility. All stone and sitting in between sheer Cliff walls and a riverbed.  Our room has both a fireplace and a wood stove, both were lit and toasty warm when we arrived.  We had the usual "Berber Whiskey" when we arrived. (Mint Tea!) It's such a nice tradition. Whenever you arrive somewhere they pour you hot mint tea and welcome you before any business is conducted. After checking in to our incredible room we had a wonderful meal in the dining area .  This was followed by some unbelievable star gazing and finally a fun round of Up to 10 and Back Again. Lights out around midnight! Hope everyone is having a great week and looking forward to Christmas!